


To Have Your Heart on Show

by Star_Fata



Series: UraIchi Week 2018 [2]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Daemons, M/M, Soulmates, UraIchi Week 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-15 18:09:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14795405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Fata/pseuds/Star_Fata
Summary: Everyone has a daemon- a representative of their inner nature, their feelings- their hearts, capable of walking outside of them. Not everyone chooses to allow others to see their daemon- and the Shinigami are worse than most about this.It's no surprise really that so few Shinigami have officially met their soulmates. The only way to do so if both of you have your daemons Out and meet.





	1. Chapter 1

Everyone- from the lowliest soul in the Rukongai to the glorified Central 46, from human children to Komumura-taicho of 7th Division, had a daemon. The only creatures in existence without Daemon’s of any form were Hollows.  
Daemon’s were not quite creatures, although they took the form of those. They were representations of their partners hearts- but they were not zanpakuto, who were, in a way, forms of a Shinigami’s soul.  


However, there were significant cultural differences regarding Daemons. In some places, they lived alongside their other forms- living, working, fighting and dying side by side their other half. In other places, they were kept concealed- and thus safe. In this way, they were very unlike creatures- no mortal beast could become ink on the skin of their partner.  


The Shinigami favoured this type of partnership- to the point that many Rukongai citizens believed that Shinigami were required to replace their souls with a sword, or that the swords each Shinigami bore were the remains of their daemons.  


The truth was- daemons showed who you were, revealed your inner nature to the world in a way that a zanpakuto could not. They showed that Shinigami, for all their power and ideals, were as mortal as the souls they swore to protect. They were a weak point- a vulnerable extremity, wandering around too far to be protected. Thus, they were kept out of sight, except in extremely trusted company.  


Before their exile, Urahara had only let his Daemon, Fumiko, out when he was with Yoruichi and Tessai- but at the time of their exile, a man was deemed suspicious if he didn’t have his daemon out- particularly a man with features that could possibly hint at foreign heritage, like Kisuke himself.  


Over time, he found he enjoyed having Fumiko by his side- although he was still grateful when attitudes changed enough he could have her concealed when he left his shop.  


Fumiko was the one part of him he couldn’t bear to hide from the world- although she was quite happy to allow the world to deceive itself about her, and to help it along. When faced with a lazy cat, happily playing with a bit of string or dozing in the sun, an astonishing number of people would forget that the cat in question was a tiger.  


Sadly, even with her out as often as she had been, he hadn’t met his soulmate. He hadn’t really been expecting to, but that was another reason daemons were often kept close to the skin- as representatives of their human’s heart, they could identify a perfect match for them. This could not be done if the daemons were kept in- so whether they were allowed to roam or not typically said a great deal about a culture’s thoughts on the soulmate phenomena. Naturally, the Gotei 13 disapproved highly.  


Still- as nice as it would be to have a perfect match (someone to share his home with, to stay with, who wouldn’t resent him for his past mistakes even though he really deserved it), there were any number of factors against finding one. First, presuming he had one, he’d have to meet them, and they’d both have to have their daemons free to roam and meet each other. Second, they’d both need to have settled daemons- in Shinigami it wasn’t uncommon to graduate the academy still unsettled, although it wasn’t unheard of to begin the academy settled. Tessai had graduated with Nao unsettled, while Yoruichi’s daemon had settled when she was barely more than a child. Among humans- it varied, depending on culture, personal experience, and all the myriad factors that went into the grand human experience, but the general consensus was daemons usually settled sometime during puberty.  


Kisuke didn’t have much experience with children himself, but Kurosaki Isshin had three children. Only one had a settled daemon, and that was the eldest, Ichigo. Shion had settled about a month after Masaki’s death, during his first birthday without her. They were a Eurasian wolf to be precise, tawny-white in colour, with the same brown eyes as their human half.  


Ichigo and Shion were a very visible pair in Kakakura- Shion only returned to Ichigo’s skin when they were in a fight.  
At least- until he became a Shinigami.  


XXX  


Shion slipped from ink to flesh and blood without a hitch- they’d long been experts at switching between the two during fights, battles were no different in that regard.  


Neither of them were expecting Rukia’s reaction. “You can’t do that!”  


They both turned to the Shinigami in surprise, and Ichigo asked her what she meant.  


“Shinigami don’t have their daemons out- they’re a weakness.” She explained, mercifully forgoing the drawings.  


Ichigo glanced at Shion absently, before turning back to Rukia. “But we’re not in a fight.”  


Rukia scoffed. “Not yet. A Shinigami shows no weakness to the world.”  


Ichigo didn’t understand why exactly that meant he couldn’t have Shion out, but he didn’t want to deal with Rukia’s idea of teaching if he didn’t have to, so he reluctantly agreed that the two of them would remain in one form whenever he was a Shinigami.  


It wasn’t until later, as Rukia was preparing to sleep in the closet, that he tried to get her to explain.  


“So- when do you let your Daemon free?” He asked, one arm resting on Shion’s back.  


Rukia turned to him. “You speak of it like they’re separate beings- like real creatures.” She observed. “They’re not- they’re just manifestations of our inner nature. There’s no real difference between having them out or having them on your skin, and as you’ve noticed, it’s more practical to have them in your skin.”  


Ichigo scowled at her, frustrated at the run around. “Yeah, for fights.” He said. “Shion’s badass, but daemon fighting is difficult if you’re not intending to go for the kill- and no matter how irritating those morons are, I’m not going to jail for them. That’s different to everyday life.”  


“Not really. Your human experience is limited, so I understand you don’t believe me- but when you die and reach the Gotei, you’ll understand just how much simpler it is when you don’t cater to your daemon’s form.” Rukia shrugged, before sliding the closet door closed. Clearly, she was done with the conversation.  


The young substitute Shinigami frowned at his closet. He couldn’t imagine not having Shion beside him whenever he needed them, even if they were still on his skin. Shion was literally a part of him- ‘catering’ to their form wasn’t a big deal, if their bulk or weight was inconvenient Shion would just slip into their tattoo form. How could someone distance themselves from their own nature so thoroughly, like daemons were an inconvenience instead of a single comforting constant in the world? How could someone be so distant from part of themselves?  


He had a point to make to Rukia- and he knew just the way to do it. It was a rude question- but Rukia’s answer might tell him something interesting.  


“What’s your daemon?” He asked, breaking several taboos.  


It worked- Rukia slid the closet door open again to see if he was serious. Now stroking Shion’s fur, he met her gaze dead on.  


“Fuyu was a peafowl.” She answered, still looking like she wasn’t sure why he was being strange and asking questions, beyond the fact he was ‘a strange human boy’.  


….There were so many problems with that sentence he could barely think of where to start. “Was?”  


She nodded. “He’s in my skin. I guess he still is. I haven’t had him out since the Academy- it’s not proper.”  


There were people who didn’t reveal their daemons in public, sure. Goat-face was like that. He was so uncomfortable with it that he even hesitated to bring Hisae out at home- but he did bring her out, they could hear her steps on the wooden floorboard, even if they barely ever saw her since their mother died. There were times and places it was inappropriate to have a daemon out, especially if you had a large daemon. And there were both entire cultures and plenty of individual people who believed it was a vulnerability to have your heart displayed so clearly outside your body, some of whom even hid their tattoo from all eyes- but what Rukia was talking about…  


He tried to think of a place where no one allowed their daemon out- not for themselves or others. He failed. He just couldn’t imagine someone so divorced from part of themselves that they could live like that.  


Not for the first time, Ichigo gave up on understanding Rukia’s world.  


XXX  


It wasn’t until Rukia had been taken to Soul Society that he saw Urahara’s daemon. He woke up to the sensation of warmth along his back- confusing, as he was lying on his back. When he managed to crack open his eyes, he found Shion lying just within his visual range- with a tiger curling around his body.  


He didn’t panic- the tiger was clearly a daemon. Which left only one question- where was their person?  


A cane tapped him on the forehead, drawing his gaze up to pale blonde hair and sharp eyes.  


“Good morning Kurosaki-kun.” The shopkeeper greeted cheerfully- eyes oddly focused for all his geniality. “Did you have a nice nap?”  


Ichigo instantly wanted to hit him- even if the man's daemon was still curled around Shion, keeping his form still and providing comfort to Ichigo.  
Alright, maybe hitting him would be too much effort. The man was kind, even if he was irritating as hell…  


“Why is Shion Out?” He said, bypassing Urahara’s question entirely. “I don’t remember freeing them…”  


Urahara glanced at their daemons, as if he hadn’t noticed them before. “You’ve woken before Kurosaki-kun- I asked you to let Shion out so he could comfort you. He suffered wounds too, so we’ve been looking after both parts of you.”  


Ichigo nodded his understanding. “Shion?” He called- he didn’t need to, but like a child he wanted the reassurance that came with saying something, rather than thinking it.  


“We are safe.” Shion answered immediately. “We will recover and gain strength so that this will never happen again.”  


Urahara blinked- perhaps in surprise at Shion’s distinctly male voice, when they usually never spoke in public. “I’m sure you and Shion will be back to your usual selves as soon as you’re on your feet. We just need to discuss how to get that to happen.”  


Ichigo wasn’t listening- he knew Urahara was probably talking about something important, and that there was something he was forgetting, but the warmth along his back, the bizarre feeling of safety he had in the storeroom, and his body’s condition all lulled him back to sleep.  


Distantly, he heard a chuckle. “Ah. Perhaps you need a bit more time, Kurosaki-Kun.”  
XXX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keeping in mind my research was about an hour (if that) on wikipedia, here’s my reasoning.  
> Urahara’s Daemon  
> Fumiko the Tiger. Tigers are solitary but social predators.  
> Stereotypes- proud tiger, loyal tiger, cruel tiger.  
> Also considered- Fox. Deemed not impressive enough for the ‘deception’ bit.
> 
> Ichigo’s Daemon  
> Shion the Wolf- The Eurasian Wolf the largest of ‘old world wolves’, very large territory range does not quite include Japan but comes relatively close as these things go, tawny and white in colour, size varies depending on region but can be quite large indeed.  
> Many stereotypes. One Japanese one (according to wiki) is of the protecting wolf- native wolves were said to protect crops etc from raiders. Other stereotypes include- Lone Wolf, Honourable Wolf, and ‘howls at the moon’- which seemed perfect for Ichigo, and a nice reference to Zangetsu.  
> Other Daemon-  
> Chad- Rosa the Panda- Panda’s are generally peaceful but strong, and willing to fight if necessary- also, they look cute.  
> Uryuu- Shinobu the white Turkish Angora cat- I just really wanted Uryuu to have a white domestic cat.  
> Orihime- Michi the rabbit- smallish, skittish, the old ‘mad as a March hare’ saying, Alice in Wonderland White Rabbit association, non-violent, and lets be honest- ‘girly’  
> Rukia- Fuyu the Peafowl- I picture him as a white Peafowl, partly because of Rukia=Sode No Shirayuki/Moon imagery. Based purely on the wiki article for the Indian Peafowl. ‘Their loud calls make them easy to detect- and in forest areas often indicate the presence of a predator such as a tiger.’ Omnivorous, foraging for berries and grains, ‘preying on snakes, lizards and small rodents.’
> 
>  
> 
> Going to be bed now but wanted at least part one up- part two will hopefully follow sometime this week.


	2. Chapter 2

Urahara found that despite the urgency and strain of Ichigo’s training, he enjoyed the young man as a guest. Despite first, second and third impressions of a brash delinquent, he was polite, and very often quiet. If he didn’t feel the need to speak, during his breaks, he would just sit and enjoy the quiet. Other times, he’d engage in conversation with whoever was with him- although in Jinta’s case, it was less ‘engaging in conversation’ than it was ‘flinging insults at each other’, which at least was amusing in its own way.  


He’d assumed Ichigo had enjoyed himself too, during those rare moments in the run up to their invasion of the Soul Society. He’d often had Shion out, resting a hand in his daemon’s fur or occasionally leaning on Shion himself, when the wolf Daemon wasn’t resting on him already, and no matter that Ichigo and Shion were usually visible together, they weren’t often relaxed as they were both visible.  


That said, he was very surprised when after their mostly-triumphant return from Soul Society, he came up from his lab to find Ichigo and Shion in the storage room that had served as their bedroom- Ichigo was, of all thing, doing homework.  


“Ah, Kurosaki-kun, I didn’t realise you were visiting.” He greeted, fanning himself casually.  
The newly named ‘Substitute Shinigami’ looked up from his English questions. “Hey Getaboushi. Just hanging out here for a while before I head home.”  


“Not that I mind,” Urahara said, a bit bewildered. “But I wouldn’t think this humble place of business would be your first choice of places to visit.”  


He’d expected Ichigo to blush, maybe scowl and bluster a bit- but the teen was as contradictory and surprising as ever. He just shrugged, turning back to his homework. He answered Urahara’s unspoken question almost absentmindedly, like it was a matter of no importance and no real relevance. “We like it here. It’s peaceful.”  


Peaceful, Urahara thought, was not necessarily the best word to describe the place where Ichigo had been bedridden as he recovered from life threatening injuries, bickered furiously with Jinta, and where he had trained so frantically only a short time ago. However, he did enjoy Ichigo’s company, and the young soul reaper wasn’t doing any harm.  


“You know where the tea is.” He said simply. “Feel free to help yourself.”  


Ichigo glanced up and smiled briefly. “Will do. Thanks.”  


XXX  


Ichigo soon had more reasons not to consider the shop ‘peaceful’- what with landing in its make-shift infirmary, learning about the consequences of his earlier training, and frequent ‘War-meetings’. However, he was still fond of the place- and in the lifeless, dangerous deserts of Hueco Mundo, he missed it more than he missed his own damn bed.  


Sadly, they still hadn’t found Orihime, let alone rescued her. He’d split up from the others a while back, and just defeated Grimmjow- crazy bastard was finally staying down. Looking at his defeated enemy, Ichigo just wanted to be in the storeroom, listening to the sounds of the shop as Urahara poured them both tea.  


In a moment of desparate homesickness, he called Shion forth. “Think you can help me move this guy?” He asked.  


Shion gave him a look- a you are literally lying to yourself, and doing so badly, you know you don’t need my help, you’re fooling no one look. Nonetheless, they turned to Grimmjow and looked around.  


Shion huffed. “I’ll find a place to put him. You do the lifting.”  


Ichigo smiled- which didn’t last long. Shion sat to sniff at the air- and shifted. White and tawny darkened to a mix of black and beige, and Shion’s bulk shrank to about the size of a Labrador. They didn’t notice, and shifted back easily.  


“Nothing on the wind- but you know how fast these guys can move.” Shion said, ignorant of what had just happened.  


Shion had just shifted to a form more useful for the desert- an arabian wolf, if Ichigo had to guess species. That happened sometimes to almost settled children- they would change from a preferred form to something similar if it fit the local environment better. It was considered bad form to travel widely if your kids were half-settled, because it extended the time it took to settle- but most people agreed it wasn’t a big enough deal to avoid travelling with children altogether. Sometimes it happened with adults too- if they found themselves in a different environment than the one their daemon had settled in, for an extended period of time, and their daemon’s form ‘looked’ uncomfortable.  


They’d covered the case studies in psychology class- the shortest amount of time ever recorded for an adult shift to take place in a neurotypical adult was nine days. Ichigo knew he wasn’t a shining example of mental health, but he didn’t have any of the conditions noted to make an adult shift normal for him.  


Which meant… if he survived this shit, he had research to do when he got home. First things first, Orihime and his friends had to get out of Hueco Mundo. And he still had to ditch Grimmjow somewhere the bastard was less blatantly vulnerable.  


XXX  


Kisuke dug his hand into Fumiko’s fur, even as she made sounds of distress. He wasn’t hurting her- she was part of him, and even if he did think he deserved it he wouldn’t hurt her. Their distress had one source- the pair in front of them.  


Ichigo was still unconscious after his battle with Aizen, having used Mugetsu- the final moon fang. He’d lost his powers, and lay there with his reiryoku slipping away from him. Kisuke had so far managed to keep it from draining his life along with it, but there had been a few moments it had been closer than he’d like to admit.  


Ichigo was still in intense pain- but that wasn’t even the worst part, as terrible as it was to see him so clearly hurting in the grasp of a coma.  
When Ichigo had hit the ground after he let the Saigo no Getsuga Tensho technique go, Shion had burst forward and howled. A howl that echoed across all of Kakakura, even as it rapidly changed pitch and tone, as Shion’s form destabilised.  


At first Shion had flickered between different kinds of wolves, of every shape, size and environment. Then had come the moment that Shion had utterly lost control, falling unconscious alongside their partner- their form flickering from one to another with no rhyme or reason. Shion had been a fox at one point, and a lion at another, as well as a surprising variety of birds, from an albatross to a Goldcrest Kinglet, the latter of which Kisuke had taken pictures of- it may have been the only time in their lives that Shion and Ichigo had matching hair. Ichigo’s reaction would be amusing, if he woke up. When he woke up.  


At least- Kisuke hoped his reaction would be amusing. If he’d made a joke like that before Hueco Mundo Ichigo would have exploded in a mix of embarrassment and irritation that looked a lot like rage to the uninformed bystander. Shion’s Unsettling was visible proof that Ichigo would never be the same again. Who knew how much the brash young man would be changed by the loss of his powers and half of his soul?  


XXX  


Ichigo’s teachers had been weird ever since his return to school from his coma and ‘traumatic brain injury’, except for Ochi sensei who’d remained the same kind of weird as she always had been, save for making him sit more exams to make up for his absences. At least this time she gave him advanced warning of the make-up tests.  


Ochi Sensei had also argued on his behalf with Ando Sensei when Ando disagreed with Ichigo’s chosen topic for a research project. Ando had assigned a paper with the basic goal of cramming some research methods into his students heads before they began applying to colleges, and left the topic entirely up to his students. That was possibly a huge mistake on his part- Momohara had chosen to research some historical karate champion, while Keigo had chosen to research American food.  


Ichigo had decided to research Daemon Settling- he wanted to find out why Shion had changed shape in Hueco Mundo, and what that could mean for them.  


Ando had objected- even with the cover story being widely known, Shion’s changing form made him squirm. He wavered between treating Ichigo as if he was brain-dead instead of brain-damaged, watching him like he was going to go rabid and rip out Ando’s throat, and assuming Ichigo was a delinquent making trouble for attention because he didn’t _act_ like he’d suffered a traumatic brain injury.  


At least the teacher-student conference had been entertaining.

“The subject will just distress him, he’s in a delicate state!” Had been one of Ando's objections- Ochi had outright laughed at him.  


“It’s too personally motivated!” Ochi had just asked what he was expecting, asking his students to choose their own topic unless it was for them to pick a topic that they were personally interested in.  


“It’s beyond his capabilities!” That had just made Ochi mad.  


“He won’t take the subject seriously!” And that had been the last straw for Ochi, who had icily pointed out that Natsui was researching modern matchmaking services and Tatsuki had decided on the grieving process for losses other than death, neither of whom did as well as Ichigo in schoolwork but whose projects had been approved without comment.  


Ichigo had learned new respect for Ochi sensei as a teacher and a terrifying being in her own right- he thought that Kyoraku would gladly have someone with her personality as an officer. She reminded him, just a bit, of Lisa.  


He’d thanked her, and she’d just grinned at him. “Make sure your project is the best that Ando-Sensei has ever had to grade Kurosaki- that’s how you’ll thank me.”  


That grin would not have been out of place on a member of the Eleventh Division.  


“Yes Ochi-Sensei.”  


He’d done his best to live up to that promise- and decided to focus on the effects of trauma on Daemon Settling. He’d known that serious trauma could unsettle a daemon- it was part of why his friends were so uncomfortable with Shion now, especially since he still refused to hide them more than strictly necessary. He’d also known that trauma was a major cause of both Early Settling and Sudden Settling, which is what everyone had thought had happened to him after his mother died. One thing he hadn’t known about was False Settling as a possible result of trauma, which looked to be what had really happened to him.  


It had the same basic cause of Early and Sudden Settling- and it had the same general appearance as a Settling, in that the daemon stopped shifting forms. As a result, it was nearly impossible to notice until much later in life except for a few signs.  


As False Settling wasn’t a true Settling, it meant the daemon could not identify their soulmate. This was easy to miss though- lots of people didn’t meet their soulmate. Other signs were shifting in times of extreme emotion, and unnaturally quick adaptive shifting. Most cases that were diagnosed were in their twenties or thirties, but there could be a lot of people who never realised they hadn’t settled properly.  


In that way Ichigo guessed he was lucky. Shion might be officially unsettled again, but that was actually good for them as they now had a good chance of Settling properly. They’d taken to canine forms again, even their old form although it didn’t quite fit them as comfortably as it used to.  


That was alright- they had time. They just had to avoid punching out the morons who thought having an Unsettled Daemon made them an easy target.  


XXX  


Urahara had kept his distance from Ichigo since the younger man had lost his powers- Isshin had requested they try not to get Ichigo tangled up in Shinigami business again, with a glint in his eyes that suggested the former Captain was willing to bring out Engetsu if anyone disobeyed his demands.  


It wasn’t until a year later that Ichigo visited the Shouten, as a customer. He’d felt the trace of the formerly blazing reisatsu and left the basement to go see his young friend.  


Tessai passed him in the hallway, nodding at him as he motioned to the storeroom.  


Ah- Ichigo must have a specific request. He hadn’t known the teenager liked sweets.  


Fan in hand, he walked into the store proper.  


“My my.” He greeted with a grin. “I didn’t know you had a sweet tooth Kurosaki-kun.” He took the opportunity to look over Ichigo- he looked less stricken than he had the last time he’d caught a glimpse of the young man, who had grown taller since Aizen’s defeat. His hair was a bit longer and just as bright as ever- which reminded him, he hadn’t told Ichigo about the time Shion spent as a Goldcrest Kinglet. He’d have to see if he could work that into conversation at some point.  


Ichigo looked solid, relaxed, and an unexpected smirk brightened his face where Kisuke had expected a scowl. “They aren’t for me.” He said. “I’m here under orders. Yuzu has a sleepover planned.”  


Moving closer, not going behind the counter but around it so he could face Ichigo without any barriers, Kisuke let his eyes trail down to Shion. They too had changed- to a startling degree. Shion’s current form was a black wolf much larger than their previous form, although still bearing the hallmarks Canis Lupus rather than other Canidae. Even their eyes had changed- from the warm brown identical to the eyes Ichigo had inherited from Masaki to a pale amber, a few shades lighter than that of Ichigo’s Hollow eyes.  


He absently sent out Fumiko so she could greet their friends, and was just about to speak again when…  


His eyes widened as he felt a burst of jubilation from Fumiko. Both he and Ichigo looked towards their daemons as both lunged forward- not to attack, but to greet each other. Fumiko rubbed her head against Shion, who pressed their nose into Fumiko’s throat.  


Kisuke knew what that meant- but that couldn’t be possible. Despite the feeling of certainty and rightness from Fumiko, they had to be wrong- he’d known Ichigo for months before the final battle, had met him over a dozen times, and there’d been no sign…  


Ichigo spoke first. “I guess you’re freaking out right now. I am too, a bit, and I already knew it might be possible I’d met my soulmate and not realised.”  


Kisuke’s eyes snapped from Fumiko and Shion to Ichigo, who looked grim. He mourned the smirk Ichigo had worn earlier, which had made him at least look his age rather than a soldier about to throw himself into yet another desperate battle.  


Ichigo continued, undaunted. “I hope you’re freaking out because of the surprise, and not because it’s me. I know this might be a bit awkward, with the age difference and you being friends with my old man, and I don’t have any powers- but if you reject me, do it because you want nothing to do with me at all. I want to be friends and get to know you better. It’s one thing to reject me as your former student Kisuke- it’s another thing to not want me as your soulmate.”  


Kisuke absently noted that Ichigo had used his name, and that he liked the sound of it from his soulmate. The rest of what he said was confusing though and would have to be dealt with, so the scientist leapt in headfirst.  
“How could we not have known?” He asked.  


Ichigo relaxed slightly at the question, the grimness of his face softening. He really had been on the defensive there- Kisuke made a note to find out why later, when his _soulmate_ wasn't so wary.  


"Shion didn’t settle early.” Ichigo explained. “We had a False Settling.”  


False settling, Kisuke thought. That might explain why Shion’s eyes were so similar to Ichigo’s. If their grief for Masaki had been the cause of it, then it wasn’t that Shion had had the same eyes as Ichigo, it had been that they had had the same eyes as Masaki.  


There were so many questions buzzing around his head, about how and when Ichigo had diagnosed himself as a False Settler, who else knew, when did Shion settle for real, how did Ichigo feel about this- but he could only think of one thing to say out loud.  


“I’d like to get to know one another again.” He said quietly, his fan dangling loosely by his side. “Ichigo.”  


Ichigo’s smile was perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> Keeping in mind my research was about an hour (if that) on wikipedia, here’s my reasoning.  
> Urahara’s Daemon  
> Fumiko the Tiger. Tigers are solitary but social predators.  
> Stereotypes- proud tiger, loyal tiger, cruel tiger.  
> Also considered- Fox. Deemed not impressive enough for the ‘deception’ bit.
> 
> Ichigo’s Daemon  
> Shion the Wolf- The Eurasian Wolf the largest of ‘old world wolves’, very large territory range does not quite include Japan but comes relatively close as these things go, tawny and white in colour, size varies depending on region but can be quite large indeed.  
> Many stereotypes. One Japanese one (according to wiki) is of the protecting wolf- native wolves were said to protect crops etc from raiders. Other stereotypes include- Lone Wolf, Honourable Wolf, and ‘howls at the moon’- which seemed perfect for Ichigo, and a nice reference to Zangetsu.  
> Other Daemon-  
> Chad- Rosa the Panda- Panda’s are generally peaceful but strong, and willing to fight if necessary- also, they look cute.  
> Uryuu- Shinobu the white Turkish Angora cat- I just really wanted Uryuu to have a white domestic cat.  
> Orihime- Michi the rabbit- smallish, skittish, the old ‘mad as a March hare’ saying, Alice in Wonderland White Rabbit association, non-violent, and lets be honest- ‘girly’  
> Rukia- Fuyu the Peafowl- I picture him as a white Peafowl, partly because of Rukia=Sode No Shirayuki/Moon imagery. Based purely on the wiki article for the Indian Peafowl. ‘Their loud calls make them easy to detect- and in forest areas often indicate the presence of a predator such as a tiger.’ Omnivorous, foraging for berries and grains, ‘preying on snakes, lizards and small rodents.’
> 
>  
> 
> Going to be bed now but wanted at least part one up- part two will hopefully follow sometime this week.


End file.
